Happy Summer to you! It is here in all its glory. The FIV suite gang is spending loads of time outdoors these days. And, as the hockey teams have their goalies, the FIV suite has its official gatekeeper, Buddy. Anyone who comes in or out of the tube to the solarium has to utter the secret password into Buddy’s ear, or they won’t be able to soak up any sunshine. Luckily, our sweet Newman doesn’t need to worry about that because he sees no need to go to the other side. He is just so content in his solarium when it’s nice out!
Wolfie, on the other hand, likes both worlds, and somehow persuades Buddy to allow him through the gate. But just in case Buddy falls asleep on the job, Wolfie is there to fill in for him. Wolfie is gaining confidence and becoming more comfortable here, and is buds with Newman. But then, Newman gets along with everyone, human and feline alike.
Buddy (pictured below left) seems to keep a close eye on activities while he’s on the job as gatekeeper. Usually, once the toys come out, so does Buddy, but on this particular visit he was more interested in sleeping (with one eye partially open for monitoring).
Friends share all sorts of things — including diagnoses. This spring and summer, one of Newman’s roommates was diagnosed with a bacterial infection. As a precaution, our vet team tested all the members of Suite FIV. It’s rare for a cat to have all three strains of this particular infection, but alas, Newman has three out of three. This marks the second time we’ve discovered a Newman diagnosis quite by accident; like the liver shunt we discovered through routine pre-dental blood work a few years ago, Newman’s infection is entirely asymptomatic. That’s a very good sign. We’re treating him with antibiotics and expect him to do just fine.
On behalf of Newman, thank you for all your continued and generous support for our sweet and loving boy.